'Unprecedented' surge in Apple spyware alerts reported by investigators
Following Apple's new wave of threat notifications sent to users in 110 countries on Friday, investigators report a record-high number of people seeking help over suspected spyware attacks, including a Ukrainian soldier.
Apple sent out a fresh wave of threat notifications last Friday to customers in 110 countries, warning them that their devices may have been targeted by powerful spyware. In the days that followed, an unusually large number of people publicly and privately reported receiving these alerts, with experts describing the response as unprecedented in scale.
Apple periodically issues these notifications to users it believes have been targeted or compromised by so-called "mercenary spyware," tools typically associated with government actors. Over the past several years, the company says it has alerted people in more than 150 countries, but this latest batch appears to be the largest yet.
Help organizations see spike in requests
Mohammed Al-Maskati, who leads the investigator team at digital rights group Access Now, told TechCrunch that since Friday the organization's helpline has received a record number of requests for assistance — roughly 30% to 40% more than usual following an Apple notification wave. Cybersecurity firm iVerify separately confirmed it is also seeing an increase in threat notifications.
Among those affected is a soldier in Ukraine's Armed Forces, who spoke to TechCrunch anonymously. He said he initially suspected the notification was a scam until he confirmed its authenticity directly with Apple. He added that he knows of other Ukrainian service members who received similar alerts and were concerned by them.
Why the numbers may be climbing
John Scott-Railton of the Citizen Lab, a digital rights group that has tracked government spyware for over 15 years, said the wave of public reports suggests spyware attacks may be more widespread than commonly understood. Both he and Al-Maskati noted that part of the increase could stem from changes Apple made this year to how it delivers these warnings — now appearing on the lock screen, in the Settings app, via email, and during web account logins.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment. Experts advise anyone who receives such a notification to take it seriously and consider enabling Lockdown Mode, a security feature designed to make Apple devices harder to hack.
